EK NANHI SI KALI MUSKAYEE , MERE BAAGH MEIN CHALI AAYI AUR AB KHIL RAHI HAI , AAGE DEKHTE HAI KYA KYA CHAMATKAAR KARTI HAI AARTI

I have always had a close and fascinating relationship with flowers of every kind . I have tried with joy when I have seen little beautiful flowers blossom in my garden of life and in the gardens of other gardners - Ali Peter John

I have cried when i have seen flowers being crushed and mutilated by human beings without any heart.

I have felt deeply sorry for flowers which are sacrificed to honour gods and goddesses , genuine and fake , i have cursed politicians who have been using and abusing with the best of flowers for their most wild, dangerous and dubious intentions and motives .

I have tried every way of saving flowers from the clutches of evil - minded men . But , how much can one man do for his undying love for flowers .

When I met with that near fatal accident in 2014 , I only wished that I could walk around and pick up fallen flowers in the morning and place them before their God and my God .

And how can I thank God for giving me the opportunity of fulfilling my dream and wish to go around with a walking stick only to pick up all those white little flowers lying on the floor and helplessly waiting for the sweeper to sweep them like the rest of the dirt , pile them up in a corner and set them on fire.

I have also had a strong fascination for discovering talented flowers in the garden of talent.

I can form a line - up of talented flowers who I have had the good fortune and blessing of casting my eyes on them and not only predicting a bright future for them , but also trying my best to groom them and help them glow and grow in my own way .

It was almost a year ago that I saw a beautiful little girl in a cafe . I could sense that she was in the wrong company and even sent up a prayer to see her out of the man's ignoble thoughts and intentions.

I could have been wrong in my judgement of the situation , but it took me only a few minutes to see the dainty flower out of what I believed could lead to a ugly situation for a girl who had hardly seen the world and what it looked like from the inside.

It seems like my prayer for her was answered and she was out of danger as I had imagined.

Within the next one hour I had written a long poem in English about that girl who I called "meri nanhi kali". And soon I invited the " nanhi kali " to Chaayos which was my favourite place to write in those days ( the cafe has now turned into a money - making machine with young boys and girls also turning into machines and trained experts In how to extort money on the slightest pretexts)

The "nanhi kali " arived at the appointed time and the cafe lit up as if it was welcoming her , but her light was what had made the difference to the cafe and the crowd of young people sitting In it and weaving dreams about their future.

Her name was Aarti Mishra . She was from Moga in Punjab . She was well educated and was born talented .

She had faced experiences and heartbreaks which girls her age normally don't have the opportunities to face .

She was both sensible and over sensitive for her age . And at the end of our first meeting , she told me that she even wrote , both prose and poetry.

My first impression of Aarti Mishra was impressed on my mind firmly and I decided to observe the growth of this rare flower.

She was an actress , but to polish her skills and abilities , she had joined the Kishore Namit Kapoor School Of Acting where Hrithik Roshan had trained before he became the " heartthrob Hrithik ".

Aarti kept in touch and gave me the report of her growth . She was training not only as an actress , but also as a dancer and other aspects of acting.

She even had the opportunity of assisting a unit in the making of a film . And the more the information she gave me about herself , the more she grew in my esteem.

I was an old man who was losing faith in the new generation , but it was Aarti Mishra ( and now a very young man called Bhavya Shinde ) who have been giving me back my faith .

What Aarti is could be known recently when the Tautkaye cyclone hit Mumbai hard and the roof of Aarti's house had been blown away.

Any other girl in her place would have panicked and cried out for help . But Aarti and her room mate Aayesha , also an aspiring actress got into action and within a matter of days , when other Mumbaikars were still struggling , Aarti and Aayesha had their roof back , they had fought for and won their sky again.

I had tried to put her to the test to see how she wrote . And when I read what she wrote , I instantly knew that we had a brilliant writer who with a little bit of encouragement could put some of the best so called good writers in the shade.

I asked my editor and friend, Mr P K Bajaj , publisher and editor of Mayapuri to read and then publish a few of her articles and Aarti Mishra is now the face and mind behind a column she writes every week called "Aarti Ke Alfaaz " which has become a regular feature of the magazine .

Her acting course would have got over at least six months ago but Covid19 put a temporary brake on her course .

She may now wrap up her course in another few months . I have no doubt that Aarti Mishra will soon be a name and a face to be looked forward to , and I as her ardent well wisher and observer can assure any one who needs an assurance that she she will be one of the brightest and colourful flowers in the garden of talent beauty and s it success that will have to follow her .

MERI NAZAR MEIN ABHI BHI JAAN HAI . MERI NAZAR ABHI BHI HUNAR KO PEHCHAAN SAKTI HAI . MERI NAZAR NE AB TAK TOH MUJHE DAGAA NAHI DIYA HAI . AUR MUJHE MERI NAZAR PAR YAKEEN HAI KI ISS NANHI KALI KE LIYE KABHI DAGA NAHI DEGI . AUR DENA BHI NAHI O MERE WAFADAAR NAZAR.